


Weird Texas: Disney Hell

by EllOnWheels



Series: The Weird Texas Series [2]
Category: Hellboy - All Media Types, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-02
Updated: 2014-04-04
Packaged: 2018-01-17 22:51:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1405495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllOnWheels/pseuds/EllOnWheels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first sequel to Weird Texas... The further adventures of our favourite weirdos. This time, a talking wolf, malicious possessed animatronics, and fending off the Disney merchandising machine... Yup, it's still weird.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You will need to read Weird Texas to make any sense of this. I've been told that it's worth the time. Have fun, folks.

Chapter 1  


 

            “No way... I still can’t quite believe this.” Hellboy said and set foot in a place he never thought he’d be sent after ghosts in.

            “It’s a small world after all.” Kate said dryly.

            “You ever been here, Kate?” Hellboy asked.

            “Nope. Never had the time or desire to.” She replied.

            “Too bad Liz got caught up with the isometric psychic kid’s freak out. She woulda got a kick outta this.” Hellboy mused, and tried to take in the surreal view around him. Kate was already wiping her brow in Florida’s late spring humidity, but Hellboy as usual, wasn’t bothered by the heat.

            “Well, if you hadn’t told him that his voice sounded like Yakko Warner, he might not have freaked out.” She said

            “I was trying to bond with the kid. How was I supposed to know he’s got a phobia about Warner Brothers cartoons?”

            “The ghost that was in their house used to use them to communicate messages to him. No wonder he freaked out.”

            “Again, the kid’s psychic, I’m not.” Hellboy justified.

            “All the more proof that you need to read the files.” Kate teased. Hellboy rolled his eyes.

            The Magic Kingdom was closed for the evening and an army of workers moved about the place like ants: cleaning litter, touching up paint, everything imaginable in order to make the place perfect for the next day’s revelry. Looking up at the spires of Cinderella’s castle, Hellboy let out a low whistle. “Disney World” He said with a bit of disbelief in his voice. “So what _is_ the scoop on the file, Kate?” He asked, returning his gaze forward.

            “Since you slept while I was getting briefed on the plane, you’ll get the Cliff’s Notes version.” She said.

            “All I’ve ever needed.” Hellboy replied.

            “Long story short, George has been acting up again.” Kate said. Hellboy’s stride paused. Kate walked on without him.

            “Huh?” Hellboy asked. Already a few paces behind her now.

            “Too short?” Kate asked, having turned her head back towards him.

            “Yeah, a bit. Who’s George?”

            “A mischievous spirit connected with the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.” She explained.

            “Ooo-kay... With you so far.”

            “Cast members have been instructed to say good morning and good night to him via the loudspeaker, otherwise he’s been known to cause the ride to malfunction. Lately, that hasn’t been enough, and right now the attraction is more often not running than it is functional.” Kate said.

            “So it’s not pulling its financial weight. Really though, who’s George? Or who was George?” Hellboy asked and caught up to Kate and they resumed their walk.

            “Urban legend says he was a welder who died in an accident during the ride’s construction. Thing is, there’s no record of a person dying during that time. None found, anyways.” Kate said.

            “The Disney machine is pretty powerful. Enough money will cover up something like that easily.” Hellboy said. They were being led up Main Street USA, and hung a left, past the Crystal Palace and on towards Adventureland by someone who looked fairly high up on the corporate ladder, if his suit was any indication. Hellboy was now deliberately ignoring him because two minutes into their conversation the guy had mentioned an animated movie or series deal.

            “There’s a persistent report that either George’s widow or mother would come once a year on the anniversary of his death and be allowed to ride solo through the attraction holding a bunch of flowers. Again, nothing has ever been documented.” Kate continued.

            “Any truth to that, Corporate Guy?” Hellboy asked the suited man.

            “We’ve all heard stories Mr. Hellboy. But I’m like you, I’ve never been told anything conclusive.” He said. “You know, a manga or anime style series would really appeal to the alternative niche market as well as children at the same time.”

            “Okay ignoring you again.” Hellboy said and gave Kate the official ‘Get a Load of That Guy’ look. Kate smirked in return and went back to filling him in on the details.

            “There have also been tales of two women who perished in the early days of the attraction, when on of the boats hydroplaned into a wall after the ‘down ramp’ at the start of the ride... But getting back to George, he’s been known to pull some fairly spooky but ultimately harmless mischief, and is fairly clear of his intentions using a system of phantom lights and open doors. If a light is on in the tower in the ‘well’ scene, George is at ‘home’. If it is still on by the time the boat reaches the ‘burning town’, the ride will probably break down soon... And if an access door by the ‘dog with the keys’ is open, the ride will malfunction for a good, long while. He is said to lurk mostly in the storage areas and a presence is quite often felt near the ‘hairy legged pirate’ on the bridge scene. Many documented psychics have felt it. There have also been sightings of a dark shape crossing the bridge, and cast members who are stationed to watch guests have often heard a second set of feet trailing behind them... And that’s about the end of the Cliff’s Notes version.” Kate said.

            “So George isn’t the subtle type.” Hellboy said.

            “No, not exactly.” Kate replied.

            “Sounds like a combination of factors manifesting into a poltergeist.” Hellboy mused. The suited man in front of them stopped walking and looked back at them.

            “A poltergeist?” He asked, and then went pale very suddenly.

            “Yeah.” Hellboy said to him curtly, much like a mechanic who was describing the need for a new set of spark plugs. “Sounds like.”

            “Oh, oh my.” He said and somehow even went paler. Hellboy determined that if the guy fainted, he was not going to pick him up.

            “No need to worry.” Hellboy said as brightly as his gruff voice would allow. “If it is a poltergeist, I know just the guy to handle it.”

            “The higher ups were very insistent that you be the one to deal with our problem.”

            “And I said don’t worry.” Hellboy repeated, as if talking to a small child. “The guy I know is the real deal.”

            “Is Mark even available to travel?” Kate asked.

            “This might be exactly the kind of thing he needs, Kate.” Hellboy said quietly. “It will help him if anything. Especially now considering he doesn’t have Hecate to give him a bump when he needs it. And it’ll give him a nice distraction from all that weighty responsibility he took on.”

            “Mark? Hecate?” The suit asked, now adding confused to his pallid face.

            “Like I said, don’t worry.” Hellboy repeated. “Pirates of the Caribbean will soon be sucking in as much money as the rest of this setup.”

            Upon arrival in Adventureland, the army ant crew of workers stayed at a respectful distance, though they did turn heads. Corporate guy raise an arm and pointed at the attraction in question. The lights in the loading tunnel flickered on and off, seemingly at random.

            “We’ve kept everyone out since the major disturbances started, and have the entrance completely boarded up during the day.” Corporate said.

            “That look like any kind of Morse code to you, Kate?” Hellboy asked.

            “Wouldn’t know, Red. That’s one language I never learned.” She said.

            “Gonna come in with me?” Hellboy asked.

            “I assumed that was the plan.”

            “Good. Besides, it’ll be fun. When are we going to have a chance like this again?”

            “Haunted Disney World attraction? I’d say that it’s a pretty rare occurrence.” Kate said wryly. She pulled a flashlight from her vest pocket, as well as a downsized blueprint of the building.

            They left corporate behind and headed in through the loading area, the lights flickered the whole way. “The power’s been cut off for two days.” Kate said.

            “Coulda fooled me.” Hellboy said. “Hello, George!” He called out. “Say hi, Kate. We don’t want to be impolite.”

            “Hello, George!” She yelled, with a bit of a grin. She reasoned that sometimes the suspension of disbelief that came with their line of work must be a lot like visiting Disney World as a guest. Getting swept up in it all helped one deal with the altered state of reality. And as soon as she’d finished her greeting, the rate of the flickering lights slowed down to a point where it wouldn’t induce seizures.

            From further along the tunnel, they heard the sound of running water and a voice shouting in loop.

 

_“No fear have ye of evil curses says you! Properly warned ye be, says I! DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES! Perhaps ye knows too much! Ye've seen the cursed treasure and you know where it be hidden... DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES!”_

 

            “The hell is that?” Hellboy asked.

            “Part of the ride, I believe.” Kate answered.

            “That’s... pretty ominous considering the family atmosphere.” Hellboy said, and they continued on towards the sound of the voice.

            “There are warnings posted.” Kate said. “Any freak outs are the parents’ problem.”

            They walked into the loading area and the boats seemed to be filing though at a steady pace. The door leading into the attraction opened and shut for them just as regularly.

            “Shall we?” Hellboy asked.

            “We could take the access doors for the staff.”

            “But George probably wouldn’t like that. This is his turf, so for now, we should probably play by his rules. At least until we find out how to deal with this.” Hellboy reasoned.

            “Okay, boats it is.” Kate agreed. The gate letting them into the loading dock opened for them without so much as breeze to do it. “Eerie.” Kate said. “Still, it’s not much to go on. I’ve seen better.”

            “Oh, so have I. But I think we’ll have a lot more proof by the time we get out of here.” Hellboy said, and stepped down into the boat awaiting them. He offered Kate his hand and she took it and stepped in.

            They had to keep a wide stance to remain standing as the boat moved forward, and when the doors opened before them and closed behind them it got very dark. They stumbled forward as the boat went on a downward angle and turned, but managed to keep their feet. Hellboy immediately went for his gun when they leveled out on pure instinct. A pained moaning, as well as that terrible chant hit his ears. As they came into the dim blue hued light, they saw a skeleton to their left, and it looked like it was straining against its bonds, its head flopping left and right. Its jaw was moving in time to the words being broadcast over the loudspeaker. Oddly the obviously animatronic seagull perched on top of the skull stayed put and continued to function.

            "Is that stack of bones supposed to be wriggling around like that?" Hellboy asked Kate.

            "Nope" Kate said.

            "Good, that means I can do this." Hellboy took aim on the skeleton's head, and fired.

            "Red!" Kate shouted but didn't have time to get any further before she put a hand over her ear and unholstered her own firearm. Most of the upper half of the skeleton and the seagull went up in a puff of plaster of Paris, splinters and bits of wire. To their surprise, and relief, the chant stopped. "...Well, I can't get upset with you for that." Kate reasoned.

            "I like a calm working environment." Hellboy said dryly. The boat continued on and through the murk the outline of a ship could be seen to their left. Then the sound of a canon being fired from the ship caused both of them to flinch. They looked up towards to the deck of the ship and found a rather surly looking animatronic pirate captain glowering down at them. The water beneath the boat started to swell a bit.

            "I grow weary of your intrusion. Leave." The captain said. His voice was something far beyond what the limited audio of the attraction could provide. The water started to form small white caps on the top.

            "Parlay" Hellboy called out quickly. The water calmed somewhat.

            "What do you know of our ways, landlubber?" The Captain asked.

            "I had an entire childhood reading adventure stories. Parlay." Hellboy repeated.

            "There is nothing to talk about." The Captain said.

            "Clearly there is, or you wouldn't be causing such a problem here." Kate reasoned.

            "I am finally strong enough to take back what is rightfully mine. This place was mine before all of this, and it is mine again." He said.

            "So you were always malevolent and the staff acknowledging you made no difference?" Kate asked.

            "Before it was reverent, a form of worship. Now it is routine... Policy. There is no awe of my presence left in them." The Captain said.

            "Typical, a self-centred poltergeist with a god complex." Hellboy muttered. The Captain had apparently heard them and was taken aback.

            "BE GONE!" He roared and the entire building shook with his rage.

            "But the par-" Hellboy started only to have 155,000 gallons worth of water swell up violently and pull at the boat's tether to the underwater track so harshly that it broke away. They were sent down the channel through the rest of the ride, which neither Kate nor Hellboy saw much of from their position in a wall of water. The lights were flickering, and the occasional stylized face was visible with angry eyes staring directly at them. Even the dog with the keys was up and barking and had teeth bared that Hellboy wasn't sure the anamatronic creation should even have in regular reality.

            At the very end when they emerged in the loading area, the wave bottlenecked and continued to build, tossing the boat over and Hellboy and Kate went with the wave. They were literally swept forcefully into the doors, which opened for them and then out of the building.

            When the sputtering and coughing was over, Kate started shouting. "RED! YOU IDIOT!" She hollered.

            "What?" Hellboy asked, checking the condition of the Samaritan.

            "You completely killed any chance to negotiate with or get any information out of it! And now I'm soaked! Both equally good reasons to call you an idiot!" She yelled.

            "I dunno, that was kind of fun. Like a big waterslide." He said. Kate rolled here eyes and hauled herself up to her soggy feet.

            "These are my favourite boots... and that was my favourite gun, which I can no longer use to shoot you because it's at the bottom of a theme park attraction. Do you know how hard it is to find large firepower in a size that woman can use comfortably?" She grumbled. Hellboy got up, trying to hide his smirk. A riled up Kate was a rare thing, and frankly, always good for a laugh. She could replace the firearm easily enough and both of them knew it. Still, there was no stopping an irritated Kate. "I am going back to the hotel, and I'm drying out and getting some sleep, and only then, we will go get Mark and come back and deal with this." She declared and started walking back towards the entrance gate, Corporate Guy at her heels, full of questions.

            "So, no Space Mountain then?" Hellboy called. Kate's only response was her rather infuriated looking middle finger waving in the air behind her.

            "Get me my gun back and then we'll talk!" She yelled. Hellboy chuckled and went to bum a dry cigarette off of one of the workers.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 

            Hellboy stepped out of the army style transport, helped Kate down and then whistled low. "And Mark thought that Wooster ghost had nice digs." He announced.

            "No kidding." Kate agreed.

            The house wasn't a mansion... But it was close. Everything was quiet in the mid-afternoon heat, and even the bugs seemed to be taking a siesta.

            Kate and Hellboy were about to ascend the stairs, and were greeted by a pair of amber eyes and set of bared teeth. The eyes and teeth were attached to an overly large black wolf, which at the moment was letting out a low growl. It stopped their progress fairly quickly.

            "Nice doggie." Kate said. The wolf licked its chops and resumed snarling at them. Hellboy shifted so that he was protecting Kate. The wolf's gaze was intense; the animal's mind appeared to be in alpha mode, ready to strike.

            "S'alright, Kate. You just gotta show 'em you're not scared and that you're not a threat." Hellboy said quietly. "Easy boy, nobody's gonna hurt you." Hellboy murmured. The wolf was unmoved. The stalemate was broken when the front door opened.

            "Girl." Mark's voice came from the doorway. "She's a girl, and rather devoted to her purpose." Mark explained. He then whistled a descending note and immediately the wolf's expression changed. She backed off and went and sat on her haunches beside Mark. "Hey Red, Kate." Mark said and smiled at them.

            "Hey Mark, how's things? Other than wolf infestation and the regular amounts of weirdness." Hellboy asked.

            "I'm pretty good, actually. Keeping busy. There's been so much to do and to change." He replied. His voice was quieter than Hellboy remembered, as if he expected people to listen to him no matter how quietly he spoke. He looked fit and radiated inner peace. In faded jeans, an old t-shirt, and barefoot, he was more the picture of a hippy farmer rather than a master of the dark arts. The only odd looking thing about him right now was the over-sized wolf at his side.

            "Where'd you get the wolf?" Kate asked.

            "She's not... Well, come on in and I'll tell you all about it." Mark said. He stood aside in the doorway and ushered them inside. "And you, Perdy, I have no idea what you were doing out in the midday heat in the first place. Strange girl." Mark said. The wolf sniffed at his pant leg and fell into step at his heel.

            Mark scrounged up a small roundish woman, and asked her politely for refreshments for their guests. She nodded and was on her way before Hellboy could place her voice. He knew he'd heard it somewhere before.

            Mark led them into a moodily lit, climate controlled cool library with a seating area. Hellboy had to be impressed when he saw a chair large enough to support his weight easily. It was nice when people accommodated him in quiet ways. They sat and the wolf sat beside Mark, he gave her head a gentle pat automatically. "So, a wolf named Pretty?" Hellboy asked.

            "Perdy... Perdita. And it was Jackie who came up with the name. She seems to like Jackie the best out of all of us. Her case is, well, unfortunate hardly begins to cover it. When she was a teen, she went to Paul and needed a cure for a sibling who was plagued by a ghost in the house. The trade off was her service and the wolf shape is what she chose. Thankfully, recon is all he demanded of her. Then Paul left her like this for too long. I've brought her back to her human form, and she can't handle it. In both forms, she still thinks and reasons like a human, but with a wolf's instincts and senses, which we've found pretty much short out a human body. I've even worked a human voice for her in this form, which she rarely uses. Simply, the fact is that she's spent more years as a wolf than she has as a human, and this body is now more familiar to her... Of course that led to the severing of all family ties that she had. Either way, her family lost a child, and she lost a family. Hence, Perdita. She won't answer to her real name anymore, and the one Paul called her wasn't... Polite." Mark explained. He rubbed under the wolf's ear. She leaned into his touch and half closed her eyes.

            "That's... so sad." Kate said.

            "I thought the same. I try to make her life as easy as possible now in order to make up for it." Mark said.

            "I'm happy." It took Kate and Hellboy a moment to realize that Perdita had spoken. She looked up at Mark with adoring amber eyes. "Really, Taker. I'm happy." She said. Mark smiled back at her and resumed that peaceful look.

            "Good." He said softly.

            The roundish woman returned with a tray of beer, lemonade, and food. It was when she said "Will that be everything?" that Hellboy placed the voice. It was the large female rat they'd chased down back in New York. Her features were still somewhat pinched looking, but otherwise it looked like she'd escaped her ordeal unharmed. Mark told her they were fine, and that since Bradshaw had 'some large mammal' ready for the BBQ that she could go home to her family early that day. She thanked Mark and then was gone.

            "The rat?" Hellboy asked when she was out of the room. Mark look surprised, but only for a moment and then smiled.

            "I am continually amazed by your perception. And you ain't even psychic." Mark said. His smile now settled on his features. "She showed up here shortly after I arrived, vowing her service. Thing is, I didn't have much for her to do. So I gave her a job instead. She and her family seem happy with the arrangement."

            "Steady income does that for a lot of people." Hellboy quipped.

            "That it does." Mark agreed and handed him a beer. "So, what brings you here? I haven't heard much over the last couple of months except from your father."

            "Got a haunting in Florida. You interested?"

            "Where in Florida?" Mark asked and grinned when Kate took the long neck he'd offered her.

            "Orlando area. Poltergeist." Hellboy said before Kate could mention the terrifying 'Disney' word.

            "How bad?"

            "It's losing some people a lot of money." Hellboy said, but trying not to give anything away. Mark's head tilted and his eyes narrowed slightly as he appraised his friend.

            "Disney World, Red?" Mark asked. "You want me to go to Disney World?"

            "Damn psychics. They always ruin the surprise." Hellboy grumbled in a good natured way. "Look, I've already scoped it out, something's there and it's threatening lives with its activity. Nearly drowned three ride operators last week."

            "Cast members." Kate casually corrected.

            "Whatever. Disney World drones who, other than working for Disney, haven't done anything to deserve peril in the work place." Hellboy concluded. The door to the library opened and Jacqueline leaned on the door frame.

            "Who's in peril?" She asked. The wolf, whose ear had been cocked towards the door for the last two minutes, now thumped her tail on the floor and looked up at Mark. Mark gave a subtle nod and the wolf was up and trotting over to greet Jacqueline in proper wolf fashion, head down and tail wagging. Jacqueline smiled at her and touched her fondly before proceeding into the library. "Dr. Corrigan, Hellboy, how lovely to see you here at last." She said and took the fourth chair after giving Mark a peck on the cheek. Mark, ever the country gentleman, leaned forward, poured her a glass of lemonade and smiled at her. To Kate, it was the smile of a man very much in love and much to Mark's luck, Kate thought, Jacqueline returned it.

            "So, what brings you to New Orleans?" Jacqueline asked and the situation was quickly relayed to her. She listened carefully, as did Mark, when they expanded on their recent experiences in the Happiest Place on Earth.

            "Well babe, can you spare me for a few days?" Mark asked.

            "Can you spare yourself? How crowded is your schedule?" She asked.

            "I can clear it. There's nothing pressing, and Bradshaw can handle minor emergencies. Can you give me long enough to make the arrangements? We can leave in the morning." Mark said.

            "I'm fine with that." Kate said and Hellboy nodded in agreement.

            "Good, that means you can stay for supper." Mark said.

            Mark spent the rest of the day on the phone and in meetings, Kate spent the afternoon digging through Mark's library, and Hellboy spent the afternoon lounging on the back porch in the shade, drinking beer, and hanging with the wolf at his feet. He spoke to her, and while she twitched her ear towards him, didn't say anything.

            At supper, the house came alive very quickly. Bradshaw had burst onto the back porch around 4pm to warm up the barbeque. He'd had a beer in one hand and a tray of various things to start one big fire. He'd greeted Hellboy in a loud, friendly manner and quickly made a dirty joke. Hellboy decided that he liked Bradshaw. To his surprise, the wolf pinned her ears back, put her back to Bradshaw, and did her best to ignore him. Neither of them said anything about it, so Hellboy ignored it too.

            By the time they rang the dinner bell, which amused Hellboy to no end that they actually had a dinner bell; he'd been dragged into the dining hall of the house. Long tables and bench seating made a lively, chow line atmosphere that Hellboy was well acquainted with and comfortable in. It an odd, occult connected kind of way, it was a family type atmosphere. Hellboy picked out Jacqueline's brother across the room and waved to him. There were other familiar faces, and everyone was personable, despite some eccentric outward appearances. Kate hung close to Hellboy and simply took it all in. They were seated and eating when Hellboy noticed the absence of the gentle Mideon. When he asked about it, he got a chuckle from Mark. "Remember how I told La Llorona I'd find her a new husband?" Mark asked.

            "Mideon? Really?" Hellboy asked.

            "Not much more strange than the prior ghost/goat man combo. So far, they seem quite devoted to one another. It's really very sweet." Mark said.

            "You really have been tying up loose ends haven't you?" Hellboy asked.

            "Yeah... I'm getting pretty good at it if I do say so myself." Mark said.

            After dinner, Jacqueline made good on the promise of that witch worked wine, and Hellboy and Kate were shown to rooms next to one another after it took effect. Hellboy sank into a comfortable bed, let the booze do its work, and knew no more...

            ...Until about the witching hour, when he was roused by the sounds of a wolf making very unhappy noises, the ruckus of bumped and overturned furniture, and what sounded like the shouts of everybody in the house. "Crap." Muttered Hellboy and started groping in the dark for the clothes he'd abandoned beside the bed.

            By the time he'd swung his coat over his shoulders, Kate was pounding on the door. "Red!" She yelled.

            "Comin' Kate!" He said and opened it. "Any idea what's going on?"

            "I was gonna ask you the same thing." She said. She still had on her pajamas, but had added her B.P.R.D issue coat and her second favourite pair of boots. Her shoulder holster was firmly in place.

            "Taking no chances, Kate?" He asked and stepped into the hallway. She glared at him in return and they made for the central staircase.

            What they saw when they got there defied explanation if not description. The wolf was embroiled with a heavy set figure, with long scraggly hair, who was screaming in a breathless way. Mark, Bradshaw, and Farooq were all in close quarters and just about everyone they'd seen at supper stood in a semi-circle around them. The wolf was snarling and whimpering by turns.

            The figure, Hellboy assumed it was a man due to the size and general shape; had his arm crammed in the wolf's jaws and she had her teeth sunk right into the flesh. The really odd thing was that despite his hoarse screams, when he turned his face so that it could be seen, the man had an ear to ear grin on his face. "Well, that's odd." Kate said as quietly as she could over the din. She pulled the replacement sidearm from its holster.

            "No argument there." Hellboy agreed, but he left his gun where it was. The screaming only stopped to be replaced by equally as hoarse shouting when the crazed man spotted Hellboy at the top of the stairs.

            "I knew you were in league with demons, Taker!" He cried. He'd locked his eyes on Hellboy for a moment.

            "Oh, for the lova..." Mark said and rolled his eyes. "What crazy fuck idea have you got into your head now?"

_"Red, Kate, sorry for the unexpected interruption. We'll handle this directly."_ Mark's voice was directly in their minds conveying an easy, relaxed tone, despite his outward expression.

            "Demons, Taker! Uncle Paul always said you'd take it too far! That you'd unleash Hell on Earth and destroy everything!" The man shouted. Hellboy noted that he was remarkably well composed for a guy who had lupine teeth embedded in his forearm.

            "Okay, I know you're free from Paul's influence now, Mick. So I can come to the conclusion that you're still crazy anyway, or perhaps just stupid. Probably both. Now, if you calm down long enough, I'll explain, and then I'll let the wolf rip you to itty bitty pieces if so desire." Mark said.

            So this was Mick, the sadistic fuck who used Mark as a punching bag. Hellboy disliked him immediately. But he supposed they couldn't all be Mideon and Bradshaw.

            "How do you explain _him_ , Taker?!" Mick pointed firmly at Hellboy.

            "Don't you read, you ignorant fuck? He's been on the cover of Time Magazine. Have you ever paid attention to the outside world? You'd know that my guest has been granted the same rights as any human by the U.N. Mick the moron, meet Hellboy, who's far more human than you'll ever be." Mark said.

            Blood dripped freely down Mick's arm and the wolf wasn't going to be moved. Mick paid her no mind though and kept looking back and forth between Mark and Hellboy. He suddenly shook his head, as if hearing somebody that the rest of them could not. "No. You can't fool me. I know what Paul taught me! I know this is Anung Un Rama!" He bellowed. Now Hellboy, Kate and Mark all rolled their eyes in unison.

            "That's not who I choose to be." Hellboy said, and started down the stairs. Kate followed, two steps behind, her sidearm still out of its holster.

            "Hey, fuckface." Mark said. "How long you been out of the mask?" He asked looking at Mick with a simmering hate.

            "Don't know. Can't remember." Mick said, and suddenly became fascinated with the blood running down his arm. And then he lunged towards the wolf with a speed that surprised Hellboy. But crazy counted for a lot in the sudden moves department.

            Mick brought a brutal blow down on the back of the wolf's head with his free arm. She yelped in pain as she flinched away, and took a good sized chunk of Mick's arm with her.

            Mark wasted no more time. He stepped forward and grabbed Mick by the hair and upper arm and forced his head into the hardwood floor face first. "How do you like it?!" He bellowed and then repeated his action twice more with added vengeance. Mick laughed breathlessly between his own agonized howls. "What did she do to you? She was only trying to protect her home!" Mark yelled and slammed Mick's face down again.

            Hellboy was at the bottom of the stairs now, and crazy or not, past incidents of horrific abuse or not, no one got murdered in cold blood on his watch. He put his left hand on Mark's shoulder. "Mark, stop." He said. He saw a slender, dark, feminine hand come to rest beside his. Jacqueline was there beside him, with the same goal in mind.

            "Mark. Stop." She said quietly. Something, probably a psychic connection, flared up and Mark stilled as suddenly as he'd started. Hellboy could feel the tension in Mark's shoulder as it had to work to keep itself still.

            Mark dropped Mick and in his hunched position put his hands out his sides. Mark's entire body was piano wire taught, but when he spoke his voice was measured and calm. "Farooq, Bradshaw, take him out of here. Lock him up... Or I'm going to kill him." Mark said. "I want to kill him." He repeated quietly, as if realizing it for the first time. He straightened up, but he was shaking. "Everybody else, out. Back to bed, or whatever you were doing. Show's over." He said, and the crowd around them started to thin out quickly.

            Bradshaw and Farooq moved in and grabbed Mick firmly. Bradshaw still looked Mark casually in the eye when he spoke. "Want us to heal him, Taker?" He asked. Mark breathed in and let it out slowly.

            "Heal his face. Leave the arm. We all know he'll want a souvenir." Mark said, and grinned at his own gallows humour. Mark's ability to compartmentalize rage was astounding to Hellboy. Mark took another slow breath and his eyes went wide as he looked back and forth between Jacqueline and Hellboy. "Fucking hell... I want to kill him." He said again.

            Bradshaw and Farooq wasted no more time in hauling Mick away. Mark decidedly averted his gaze. Every muscle was still taught and he was still shaking, so Jacqueline got in close to him and put her hand on his forearm and trailed her fingers down ending by entwining them with Mark's. Mark looked down and then up into her eyes. "I never thought... never knew I hated him that badly. I had no idea... Fuck... I thought..."

            "That it was over?" Jacqueline asked softly.

            "Yeah, I guess that's the best way to put it. It should be over." Mark said.

            "For all your power love, you are still human. You're allowed to hate somebody." She said.

            "But to the point of wanting to murder them?" He asked.

            "Sometimes. The key is to only want to do it, not to act on it." She said. Mark gently pulled her into his arms and the tension started to go out of him.

            "How do you put up with me?" He asked.

            "Love... And I know how to, as you would put it, wrangle you." She replied.

            "I love you too." He said.

            "I know... Come on, now that you've calmed down, you've got a wolf to vet."

            "Damn." Mark murmured. He stepped away from Jacqueline and looked around. The wolf was a mass of dark fur on the floor. Her head was cast at an odd angle and when she exhaled, small wisps of blood came out her nose. Her eyes were close and her breathing irregular. "Oh Perdy." Mark said quietly. He knelt down and touched her neck and gave a hiss through gritted teeth.

            Years of using Mark to vent his frustrations had taught Mick exactly where to hit for the most results. "How bad?" Hellboy asked.

            "Bad." Mark said.

            "Should we put her out of her misery?" Hellboy asked. It was tough for him to reconcile a human consciousness with the animal form. He knew he wouldn't let any animal suffer, and he would have liked to think he wouldn't let a human suffer either.

            "No. She is supernatural in nature, she'll probably heal on her own, but it would take time. I can heal her with little effort. Can you and Kate stay with her while Jacqueline and I gather what we need?"

            "Sure, Mark." Hellboy said.

            "Thanks." Mark said, and was on his feet and gone quietly, Mick having been forgotten for the moment.

            "So, I can hear the gears in your head turning. What's up?" Hellboy asked Kate once they were alone with the wolf.

            "I think we're lucky Jacqueline was here." She said. "Mark was completely out of control, and the rest of them would have just stood by and let him kill someone."

            "Keep in mind Kate, that he didn't lose it because of what Mick did to him in the past, he lost it because of what Mick did to the wolf in the here and now." Hellboy reasoned. "For himself, he walked away years ago. For others he intervened. Not surprisingly, it brought up some bad memories."

            Kate contemplated this for awhile. The level of violence that Mark was capable of displaying had disturbed her. It was Mark's reason and intelligence that had made her dismiss his more base tendencies and the power he had before now. But this show of pure emotional rage, especially considering the kind of powers Mark had, was something to be very wary of. "Madness in great ones must not unwatched go." She quoted.

            "He's not crazy, Kate. He had a home invasion in the middle of the night, during which his 'dog' was badly injured. People have been shot for less. Hell, as we speak Bradshaw and Farooq are doing the same kindness to Mick that Mark will be doing for Perdita. That's a sort of compassion. Mark wants to kill him, but he still knows murder is wrong. He's sane. He's just had a bad night." Hellboy said.

            "Now who shoulda been a politician?" Mark asked from where the hallway opened to the large foyer. "I thought I could spy a five star general in there."

            "Don't let that get around." Hellboy replied.

            "Mum's the word." Mark knelt down beside Perdita again. The whole time, the wolf hadn't moved at all.

            Mark and Jacqueline set up candles and Mark burned incense. But when they laid hands on the wolf, they didn't do it with a whoop and a hallelujah like some old school Southern prayer healer televangelist. Instead, they were quiet, humble in asking the universe for what they needed. There were no gods invoked, just the use of a knowledge that was there waiting to be discovered, and a shifting of power.

            The wolf's breathing evened out and her eyes opened. They took their hands away when she started to thump her tail on the ground and lifted her head to lick their chins. Mark let out a long breath and smiled. "I think we all need to go back to bed." He said and picked up the wolf in his arms with a bit of a heft. Nobody argued him on that point.

            As they made their way up the stairs, Mark looked at Jacqueline and grinned. "We're running a goddamn three ring circus here." He observed.

            "Can I have a high wire act then? I always wanted to do that." She replied.

            "Only if you do it in a tutu and I get to be holding the net on the ground." He said.

            "Any chance to look up a skirt." She said, and rolled her eyes.

            "Correction, your skirt." He said.

            "Oh gimme a break, you two make me sick." Said Hellboy and turned off to catch a smoke on the second storey terrace.

            "See ya in the morning, Red." Mark called.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 

           The next morning, the house was again buzzing and on her way out the door, Jacqueline insisted that Mark take the wolf with him to Florida. Mark looked vaguely surprised by that. "I'll be fine, Jackie." He murmured as they were mid embrace. "You don't need to worry."

            "Please, Mark... to ease my worry." She said. Mark nodded yes and kissed her softly, and when they parted he whistled for the wolf, which came trotting in through a door to the back porch.

            She stayed at Mark's feet for the flight, while Mark was constantly scanning the pilot's mind for perceived threat. Most of his enemies had lost interest with Paul dead of course, but he wasn't going to let a lack of care on his part be the reason he died in a stupid, preventable manner. It was morally questionable of course, but being honest would be so much more complicated. He passed his lack of attention to Hellboy and Kate's conversation as air sickness, and let Hellboy rag on him for it. It was easier.

            They were only walking into the Magic Kingdom after close when Hellboy felt compelled to ask about Glen. He kept it simple. "You heard from him?"

            "He visits me about once a month now, but it took him awhile to get to that point. I think his girlfriend had a lot to do with it. Before then though, I would get matchbooks." Mark replied, looking at his stylized and sterilized surroundings very carefully as they walked up Main Street USA, with all the stores quiet and dark. Hellboy realized Mark was having the same reality issues he'd had upon first arrival.

            "Matchbooks?" Hellboy asked in order to keep the conversation going, and to keep Mark from becoming completely weirded out.

            "In the mail. Sometimes up to twenty in a padded envelope. From bars and hotels, gas stations, and where ever. If the matchbook was plain, there will be a drawing on the inside flap, of trees or birds, rivers, buildings. One was a rendition of an incredibly good-looking stripper's ass. The detail on the g-string was amazing." Mark said.

            "Nothing else?" Hellboy asked.

            "Well, there is the monthly bill." Mark said, ignoring the guy in the suit much the same way Hellboy had. He'd started to give them a dirty look as soon as Mark had said stripper.

            "Bill?"

            "He's been using a credit card that Paul had for the 'business'. He had it stashed somewhere, a safety deposit box, maybe... Anyways, that bill goes to Bradshaw, who at my request pays it out of my share of the earnings... Which I'll admit is larger than everyone else's share. It's all very pirate ship like, appropriately enough." Mark explained.

            "And you just pay up for him?"

            "It means I sort of know where he is at least, Red... And it keeps him living comfortably while he sets up an actual life for himself. I probably should have called him and his girlfriend in on this, but I can't put any pressure on him right now, or he'll vanish again. I just can't let that happen. We're getting so close to actual trust between us." Mark said, as if embarrassed to be so sentimental. Hellboy changed the subject somewhat for Mark's sake.

            "And he can really draw?"

            "I want him to draw up a tattoo for me when we get to the point where I can ask him for a favour. Something I can always have ya know?" Mark said.

            "Yeah, I think I get that." Hellboy replied. "Though the fact that you have any skin left to put it on is remarkable... And will it be of the stripper's ass?" Mark chuckled at that.

            "Now gentlemen, I hope that there won't be any major disturbance to the nightly routine here." The suit said.

            "You mean _other_ than the poltergeist that's wreaking havoc?" Mark asked. As with Kate before, Hellboy exchanged the _'get a load of this guy'_ look.

            "The park runs on a very tight schedule, sirs. We need the area back to normal for business tomorrow. The flood from your last visit was a very difficult clean up."

            "Wanna hear God laugh? Tell 'im your plans." Mark muttered as he squinted into the distance at a plant off to their right. The suit eyed him as Mark went over, took a cutting from the plant and placed it in a courier bag he had slung over his shoulder. He took no measure to explain his actions. Though Hellboy wrote it off as Mark just being an observant sorcerer who gathered materials where and when he could.

            "Does that mean you think there will be more downtime?" He asked.

            "Don't know. I just know that these things tend to get messy. It's screwing with a lot of karma." Mark said. The wolf looked up at him.

            "If you're such a believer in karma, then what the hell did I do to deserve my situation?" She asked. The man in the suit paled.

            "You live in a climate controlled home with all the steak you can eat and all the small mammals on the grounds you can chase. You assured me that you were happy the other day. What's making your life so miserable at the moment?" Mark asked. The wolf rolled her eyes and 'grinned' as much as her face would allow.

            "Eh, my limbs aren't in the proper configuration for sneaking a ride on Space Mountain." She said. The man in the suit fainted dead away, and Kate had to keep him from hitting the ground hard. Hellboy guffawed.

            "Of course the one who wants to go on it would be the one who can't. Just my luck." Hellboy said. Mark was more concerned with Perdita's mental state.

            "You go for months and years at a time without a single recognizable human sound, and _now_ you start cracking wise?" Mark asked.

            "Well, all of the other animals around here talk. I'd feel out of place if I didn't conform to local custom." She said. Hellboy broke out into a fresh chuckle. These two were welcome on fieldwork anytime from now on.

            Kate, in the meantime, had called for help for delicate Corporate Guy and waved them on to the entrance of Pirates of the Caribbean. Perdy trotted ahead and sniffed around at the entrance. "Smells... smells like loathing and exhaustion. Somebody who wants to be set free." She said and sat on her haunches.

            "So this thing might not be as strong as it seems. This could be a last ditch effort on its part." Hellboy reasoned. Mark and Hellboy caught up to Perdita, and Mark mildly touched the wall of the entrance.

            "Hello, George." He said softly.

            "His name really is George?" Hellboy asked.

            "Sort of. It's more of an agreed upon title. There's something here all right, but I'm getting the sense that it's a lot older than Walt's frozen corpse. An elemental of some kind, as opposed to a poltergeist, maybe?" Mark offered.

            "The frozen thing is an urban legend actually." Kate said as she caught up to them. "He was cremated."

            "You read too much." Hellboy teased gently.

            "Good thing you like your girls with brains." Kate retorted.

            "Being a good shot helps too." Hellboy said.

            The lights were still flickering in the loading area, but Hellboy wasn't willing to play the boat game again. Instead he headed for the staff access to the interior of the ride. The wolf trotted ahead of him, taking point like she'd done it a million times before. Perhaps she had. Hellboy had to wonder what kind of training Paul would have put her through.

            The very walls seemed to groan as they headed down the corridor and their only sources of illumination were flashlights. Hellboy wished for Liz and the light she could create. The wolf trotted ahead in ankle deep water, gazing into the darkness and seeing what they could not. She nosed open another staff access door and peered around the doorjamb.

            "This is gonna be weird." She announced and then entered the area of the ride itself. Hellboy took a moment to be thankful that the horrible chant hadn't started back up again and followed. Perdita, for her part, went on bravely like a well experienced soldier. It was little wonder Mark let her live the easy life. She'd probably earned it.

            "Smells like rotting leaves and mud... a swamp. But not the Kermit the Frog kind." She said after testing the air.

            "Probably more of the Man-Thing type." Hellboy said. "If it were tangible, I mean."

            "I like 'em intangible. Makes me feel less guilty that I'm about to turf whatever it is." Mark said. The entire building shuddered and the floor rumbled beneath their feet. Progress towards the battle scene halted as everyone concentrated on remaining upright. Only Mark seemed to be expecting it. "Hey! Did I say I didn't believe in you? No? Then stop having a damn hissy fit. Your scare tactics won't work on us." He barked. The floor stopped moving. "So George has got an ego." Mark muttered.

            They entered the area of the battle scene; the figures were still and lifeless, except for the Captain of the Wicked Wench. He stared down defiantly; his eyes were far from lifeless. "Hi." Mark said, as if he were greeting a friend. "So I assume you know why we're here. But what I'd like to know is why you're here."

            "This is my land." The Captain's voice was cold and rusty.

            "Ah, land claims dispute. I get that." Mark said. "Any chance I could help you move somewhere you'd be happier... and less likely to cause harm to people?"

            "Fuck. You." The Captain said.

            "Always the first words they learn." Mark said mildly to himself. He looked back up at the Captain. "I'm warning you. I'd rather help you first and foremost. But if that's not an option, I will remove you." George leered down at them from his position on the faux ship's deck.

            "I was here first. You should be the ones removed." He said. This time, Hellboy judiciously kept his mouth shut.

            "That's life on Earth, George. You have to change or you die." Mark said with a shrug. The water between them and the ship started to move. Mark had a candle out of his pocket and lit in an instant with a smooth trick of a Zippo lighter. The waves were just building to whitecap status when Mark finished murmuring over the candle. In its low light, the same process he'd used in England happened. This time though, the spirit in question was much less defined than Bertie Wooster. It wasn't even Man-Thing to Hellboy... More old-school Clayface if he was going to keep up with the comic book comparisons. The elemental spirit reached toward their group and roared.

            "How dare you!" It shouted.

            "I said I was going to remove you." Mark told it in a matter of fact way.

            "No! NO! This is _my_ home!" It cried. Its shape, formed by the candle smoke billowed and tumbled over itself like clouds. The forecast was becoming progressively stormier.

            "I'm sorry." Said Mark. "But not only did you lose a war, you failed to show up until long after the battle was over... Your kind doesn't change well. Not that that would matter at all to you." The spirit reached for the water, which had gone calm again. George's ability to manifest had apparently vanished after Mark had him captive. Mark had started chanting quietly again, a small piece of obsidian balanced on the pages of his small spell book. Hellboy could see that Mark's intention was to bind George to the stone.

            Then George started pulling away from Mark and the candle he held. His ghostly form tumbled over itself, straining to get away. Perhaps it was Mark's inexperience with the language he'd learned from Paul that caused him to hesitate for just a moment in the crucial part where he would have been transferred from the candle in the stone. But that was enough for George. He made a break for it, and the mist tumbled down into the water. The candle went out. "Shit." Said Mark. Hellboy stepped in with his own lighter and re-lit it. He then let his left hand come to rest on the Samaritan.

            Mark took a breath and started all over again. This time though, George was going to put up a fight. The water started moving to white caps, but Hellboy really started to worry when it appeared it was starting to boil. "Better make it fast, Mark, or we're gonna be soup." Hellboy said.

            Hellboy, Kate, and the wolf all took different vantage points to protect Mark while he went back to work restarting the spell.

            "We had better find some shelter, Red." Kate said.

            "Mark, can you do this from somewhere else?" Hellboy asked. Mark shook his head while he continued to recite.

            "From what I've seen, he has to be where the spirit manifests itself." The wolf said. She was still staring out into the darkness that surrounded them.

            "So how do we stay unboiled?" Kate asked.

            "I suggest shooting as many rounds as you can into the approaching reinforcements." The wolf said. Her ears were locked on the areas of the building where the boats would progress further into the ride. It took Hellboy and Kate a few more moments to hear what the wolf already could. It was the dull clanking of metal and the clumsy footsteps of barely bipedal creatures.

            The wolf's hackles raised and Hellboy and Kate drew their firearms and held them steady. Hellboy would admit to going a bit cockeyed when their attackers shambled in like a crowd of zombies. They were slow and clumsy, but their inability to feel pain would give them an advantage over those made of flesh and blood. They found themselves looking into the dead, glassy eyes of every animatronic with legs contained within the ride.

            "Go for limbs." Hellboy advised. "Get them immobile ASAP."

            "On it." Kate said, and they opened fire. The wolf hung back, close to Mark as final wall of defense for him. He was slowly managing to recollect the enraged elemental, but she could plainly see that he was exerting a lot of effort to do so.

            Kate was a fair shot, and the caliber of Hellboy's weapon made up for any lack of marksmanship he might have had. But there were still a lot of animatronic pirates and townspeople to blow the legs off of. Two got past them, but Hellboy was reassured when the wolf leaped at one, then the other in turns, and taking off body parts with a bite and violent shake of her head.

            Mark's spell continued uninterrupted. The barest outline of George was visible now. He continued on at a steady pace, making sure not to dick around or try to negotiate with the thing.

            Hellboy almost felt bad when a redheaded animatronic wench leveled a blunderbuss at him, but he didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. He managed to separate her lower half from her upper half. Her soulless eyes and smile glared up at him while he quickly reloaded.

            Kate finished the red head off with a shot to each shoulder joint, and then took a piece out of a not nearly so attractive wench for good measure. A quick glance to his side showed Hellboy that the wolf was holding her own against animatronic pigs and the dog with the keys. All were missing at least one metal and foam rubber limb.

            "Man, I better get a free pass for this." Hellboy said.

            "Yeah, but it'll probably only be for the Country Bear's Jamboree." Perdita quipped after tossing a pig's head into the boiling water, which was starting to encroach on the dry floor. Hellboy was just coming up with a soup joke when Mark made a breakthrough.

            The spirit was dragged into his spell and all the remaining animatronics, whole and dismembered fell still. Mark's voice was now at that deep, frightening cadence that Hellboy had first heard in Manhattan. With no hesitation this time, Mark made the motion and pulled George towards the stone he had balanced on his spell book. Their last glimpses of the elemental were of an open mouth, gaping in silent agony. Mark had worked it so it couldn't speak, for worry of being distracted again.

            And then there was silence. The water became glassy and calm, save for the steam rising from it, and nothing and no one moved for a few moments. The ambient temperature of the vast room was bordering on too warm even for Hellboy.

            Then the wolf yawned and stretched, and the rest of them breathed a sigh of relief. Hellboy looked up to the deck of the Wicked Wench, and the figure of its captain hung limp as forgotten puppet, his jaw slack. "You sure you got it?" Hellboy asked Mark.

            "I'm a pro, Red." Mark replied steadily.

            "Good, then let's get outta here. This place is still fucking creepy." Hellboy said, looking around at all the fake body parts around him.

            Kate tried to take possession of the stone for research purposes once they were outside, but Mark refused, assuring her that he would dispose of it. "I'm not trying to offend you or step on toes, Miss Corrigan, but this thing is fucking dangerous in the wrong, and by wrong I mean inexperienced hands. It almost got away from me once, I won't let that happen again."

            "Then what _do_ you propose to do with it, Mark?" She asked sternly. It was the greater safety of the world that made her so, and Mark understood that.

            "I'll bring it home, and disperse the energy of the elemental gradually and in pieces. It's the best fate I can give it." Mark replied honestly. Kate sighed and agreed with this, and let the issue drop.

            Disney as a corporate machine was glad to be free to make use of the space again, but was also saddened by the loss of so many characters that were expensive to replace. Later on, word from the grunts who actually worked in and around the attraction was that it was a lot more peaceful now, but still held many of it's more hair-raising qualities. Mark brushed it off saying that reputation counted for a lot in a place, and that's what held people in awe. If the place continued to be infused with bad karma, then there was nothing to really stop another elemental from manifesting. But that they could deal with it if the situation arose.

            Hellboy also managed to get his go around on Space Mountain though, dragging Kate and Mark along with him. The wolf just nodded Mark on when he looked down at her with caring eyes. "Go on. I'll guard the stone until you get back." She said. "Jackie will be pleased you managed to get in a bit of fun."

            "That she will. You gonna make a habit of being chatty now?" He asked, placing his bag at her feet.

            "Dunno, Taker. I don't know." She said. "Now go, before they change their minds and run us out of here with a pitchfork and torch bearing mob."

            "Mark! Move your ginger ass!" Hellboy yelled, looking as excited as his weathered features would allow from the entrance.

            "You fight monsters for a living, and you're still excited about a thrill ride?" Mark asked, following his friend and only pretending to be reluctant about it.

            "All work and no play." Hellboy said, and took Kate's hand in his and pulled her along with them. "Liz and Abe are gonna be so sorry they missed this."

_-End_


End file.
